Hamilton is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located within the

town of Hamilton The Town of Hamilton is a former Local government areas of Queensland, local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in north-eastern Brisbane. History The ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' established Divisional Boards as a form of loc ...

in Madison County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 4,107. It is the location of

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

History

The area that became the town and village of Hamilton was originally inhabited by members of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

League, and some of the territory is still considered to be sacred by the

Oneida Indian Nation The Oneida Indian Nation (OIN) ( ) is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in the United States. The tribe is headquartered in Verona, New York, where the tribe originated and held territory prior to European colonialism, and continues ...

. Following the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the area was ceded to the State of New York. Until 1878, Hamilton was an original outpost of the

Chenango Canal The Chenango Canal was a towpath canal in central New York in the United States which linked the Susquehanna River to the Erie Canal. Built and operated in the mid-19th century, it was 97 miles long and for much of its course followed the Che ...

. The town of Hamilton was founded near what is now Earlville, and gradually expanded into a wide area populated by farms and settlements. The family of the brothers Samuel and Elisha Payne had been prominent in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

since before the Revolutionary War, in which they had served, possibly at

Fort Stanwix Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort whose construction commenced on August 26, 1758, under the direction of British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York, but was not completed until about 1762. The bastion fort was bui ...

, near what is now

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lie ...

. At the close of the Revolutionary War, the pair moved from

Lebanon, Connecticut Lebanon ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly sou ...

, to the town of Whitestone (now

Whitesboro, New York Whitesboro is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 3,772 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The village is named after Hugh White, an early settler. The Village of Whitesboro is inside the Whitestown ...

), a few miles from Utica. In 1794, Samuel Payne moved southwest from Whitestone into the town of Hamilton, where he started a farm on the hill that is today's location of

. In 1795, a year after his brother moved into the town of Hamilton, Elisha Payne did so as well.Hammond, 444 He and others from Whitestone and Connecticut moved to an unsettled area just north of his brother, and that settlement grew to become today's village of Hamilton. Because of Elisha Payne's interest and ability in developing the settlement, it became known as "Payne's Settlement". He built a barn, the first framed building in the village, and in 1802 he opened a tavern at the intersection of Broad and Lebanon streets, taking the place of an existing tavern that had opened in 1800. This became the Park House (hotel), which in 1925 was replaced by the present-day Colgate Inn. B0000103 watermark 2 copy

By 1800, Payne's Settlement had, in addition to log cabins, five framed buildings and a nearby sawmill. By 1806 much of the land surrounding the settlement had been cleared and replaced by orchards and farms.Hammond, 432 Salt was the accepted form of currency in the settlement. Payne's Settlement experienced a financial boom from 1800 through the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

due to extensive crop exports to Europe and to the high prices obtained for provisions in New York during the war.Williams, 6 Serving as the trading center, the settlement naturally prospered when farmers received higher prices. In addition, the 1808 opening of the Skaneateles Turnpike, which connected the village to western New York, probably contributed to the favorable economic climate. From the beginning, Payne's Settlement and the other settlements within the town of Hamilton strongly competed to be the principal location for development. Due to the advantages of its location, the balance of power shifted toward Payne's Settlement, and in 1812 the settlement obtained a charter incorporating the Village of Hamilton. Early commerce in the village included groceries, blacksmiths, book sellers, furniture and carriage makers, feed stores, quarries and lumber mills.History of Hamilton The village's first newspaper, the ''Hamilton Recorder'', was started in 1817. The

(1834–1878) passed through the west side of the village alongside what is now the Barge Canal Cafe, providing another connection between the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

grain farms and East Coast markets. Agriculture in the surrounding area initially emphasized

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

, which gave way after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

to dairy farming.

was founded in the village in 1819. Today, Colgate's campus is located on what was Samuel Payne's farm. In 1827, the farm, valued at $4,000 , covering , was donated by Payne and his wife to the Baptist Theological Society as the new location of the Society's Theological Institution, known as the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, which later became Colgate. In 1846, the name of Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution was changed to Madison University. The year 1890 brought about the change in the university's name to Colgate University, in honor of the involvement and financial support of the Colgate family over many years. In 1903,

John Vincent Atanasoff John Vincent Atanasoff (October 4, 1903 – June 15, 1995) was an American physicist and inventor credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer. Atanasoff invented the first electronic digital computer in the 1930s at Iowa Stat ...

, creator of the first digital electronic computer, was born in Hamilton. Much of the historic core of the village is part of the Hamilton Village Historic District, which became listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1984. Many of the buildings in today's village date from 1895, the year of "the great fire" which destroyed much of the village. Many of those buildings were rebuilt in the same year, with "1895" on their facades. The 2017 movie '' Pottersville'' starring

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor. Shannon received two Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations, for '' Revolutionary Road'' (2008), and '' Nocturnal Animals'' (2016). He received Screen Actors Guil ...

and

Judy Greer Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975), known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in Judy Greer filmography, a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for ...

was filmed here. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Old Biology Hall (today called Hascall Hall) on Colgate University's campus, Adon Smith House, and

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

Geography and climate

The village, located at (42.825646, −75.544673), lies in the Chenango Valley, just south of the headwaters of the

Chenango River The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...

, part of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

watershed. Most of the village is in the northwest corner of the town of Hamilton, but the village limits extend north into the towns of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

and Eaton.

New York State Route 12B New York State Route 12B (NY 12B) is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. NY 12B is a north–south highway connecting Oneida County in the north to Chenango County in the south, passing through ...

passes through the village on Broad Street and Utica Street, leading north to the village of

and south to Sherburne. The village is approximately southeast of

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

and southwest of Utica. Northeast of Hamilton is Payne Brook, which starts at Lake Moraine and travels through the village before converging with the Chenango River. The elevation of the village's municipal airport ( Hamilton Municipal Airport) is approximately above sea level. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the village's total area is , of which are land and , or 7.15%, are water. Snowfall is the most notable aspect of the area's climate, which is typical of central

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

in the vicinity of Syracuse. Snowfall produced by

lake-effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises through colde ...

from

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

and

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

usually extends into the

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

and often inland as far as the southern

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

and the nearby

southern tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

of counties; with snowfall, at a minimum, in the range of per season. Heavy snow falls frequently occur, generating from of snow and occasionally or more. The village's average seasonal snowfall is approximately .

Government

The village is governed by a board of trustees. It consists of the mayor, who is presiding officer, and four trustees. The mayor and trustees are elected at the annual village election in June for staggered terms of two-years. The mayor exercises the executive function and is assisted by the Village Administrator, the Clerk/Treasurer, and the Director of Utilities and Public Works. The board of trustees is the legislative body. It enacts local laws, adopts the budget, and exercises oversight over the Village departments, boards, commissions and committees. Trustees are assigned by the mayor specific oversight and liaison responsibilities. The mayor appoints all public officers and volunteer members of boards, commissions and committees with the approval of the board of trustees. In addition to the elected officials and professional officers, the governance of the village rests in the hands of about fifty volunteers who serve by appointment on ten boards, commissions, and committees. The mayor is an ''ex officio'' member of every village body. Every trustee serves a liaison on one or more of the bodies.Village of Hamilton, Government Info The 2009–2010 annual budget of the village is approximately 5.7 million dollars. The Village Court is independent of village government. The Village Judge is elected by the voters for a four-year term. The village and all of Madison County are within the NY 22nd Congressional District.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,509 people, 707 households, and 320 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 785 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 90.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.91%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.09% Native American, 3.70% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.46% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.28% of the population. There were 707 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.6% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.92. In the village, the population was spread out, with 8.6% under the age of 18, 62.6% from 18 to 24, 10.0% from 25 to 44, 9.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $36,583, and the median income for a family was $68,864. Males had a median income of $41,000 versus $33,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $13,203. About 3.1% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Hamilton Central School, located on a site off West Kendrick Avenue, is a K–12 educational facility for the village and surrounding town and the communities of Eaton,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, and Brookfield.

is in Hamilton.

Relationship with Colgate

Colgate is the largest economic influence in the village: with a population of over 4,000, the village's population is just slightly larger than the size of Colgate's student body, which is just under 3,000. Approximately 85 percent of the university's faculty members live within 10 minutes of campus. B0000106 watermark 2 copy copy

The village, the town of Hamilton, and Colgate have formed th
Partnership for Community Development
which develops an active network of professional consultants, foundations, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations located throughout the Central New York region to assist area residents, businesses and visitors, including efforts to stimulate and support local business through small business development and the revitalization of historic buildings. To strengthen the relationship between the village and the university, and to add to the economic development of downtown, Colgate relocated its campus bookstore to the downtown area of the village.

Points of interest

The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designe
Seven Oaks Golf Course
is located on the east side of the village on the college campus. Th
Picker Art Gallery
is located on the Colgate University campus. Th

beginning in the village and extending northward for , consists of restored portions of the

towpath. The Village of Hamilton is also home to award-winnin
Good Nature Farm Brewery & Tap Room
Good Nature opened in 2012, was Madison County's first brewery, and among New York State's First Farm Breweries. In 2017, Good Nature opened a new brewery in the Village. A Utica television station travel show broadcast, in 2008, a two-part tour of things to see and do in the village.

Notable people

, physicist and inventor, inventor of first electronic digital computer *

William L. Greenly William Lawrence Greenly (September 18, 1813November 29, 1883) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan; he served as the sixth governor of Michigan. Early life in New York Greenly was born in Hamilton, New York. He graduated from Union ...

, sixth governor of Michigan *

Matt Malloy Matt Malloy (born December 6, 1963) is an American actor and producer who has appeared extensively on television, film, and radio. Malloy's break-out performance was his co-starring role alongside Aaron Eckhart and Stacy Edwards in the 1997 bl ...

, actor and producer * Philo A. Orton, Wisconsin legislator and jurist * Henry B. Payne,

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

* Sereno E. Payne, congressman, first

House Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

List of Colgate University people This is a list of notable students, alumni, faculty or academic affiliates associated with Colgate University in the United States. As Colgate is an undergraduate school only, all the graduates listed below earned bachelor's degrees there. Colg ...

References

External links

*
Hamilton area early history source

Village of Hamilton Information

Hamilton Municipal Airport
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton Village, New York Villages in New York (state) Syracuse metropolitan area Populated places established in 1813 Villages in Madison County, New York 1813 establishments in New York (state)